Microdisplay-based projection display systems have been able to provide consumers with high image quality and large image size at an affordable price. However, when compared to flat-panel display systems, such as liquid crystal display systems and plasma display systems, the microdisplay-based projection display systems may have noticeably thicker system cabinets. For some consumers, the thicker system cabinets may outweigh the larger screen size and the significantly lower price. Therefore, manufacturers of microdisplay-based projection display systems strive to design display systems that are thinner than what is currently available.
A microdisplay-based projection display system utilizing a digital micromirror device (DMD) may include one or more fold mirrors in its system cabinet, for example. The fold mirror can decrease the system cabinet depth by folding the light path of the DMD-based projection display system. By folding the light path, a virtual distance traversed by a light beam may be maintained while a physical distance traversed may be shortened. A light produced by a light source of the DMD-based projection display system may be modulated by micromirrors in the DMD. An individual micromirror may be in one of two states dependent on image data of an image being displayed. The micromirror may be in a state (position) that reflects the light onto a display plane or away from the display plane. A single fold mirror may be able to reduce the depth of the system cabinet by approximately one-half, while two fold mirrors may be able to reduce the depth of the system cabinet by about two-thirds, and so on.